Southern Arizona American Guild of Organists

The performing organist for the Roy Johnson Memorial Organ Series will be Doug Leightenheimer. Doug is a past Dean of the Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (SAAGO), as well as a long-time organist and choir master at St. Michael and All Angels Church in Tucson, Doug has also served on the executive boards of the Sarasota-Manatee (Florida) and Wilmington (North Carolina) chapters of the same organization, including two terms as dean for each group.

Doug is a published composer and recitalist. In 2008 he was featured with the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra performing Symphony No. 3 by Camille Saint-Saëns and Symphonie Concertante by Joseph Jongen. In both April 2013 and April 2014, he performed the Mildred Flood Mahoney Memorial Organ Series Concert at the University of Arizona. Recent solo performances include the evensong series at St. Phillip’s Episcopal Church, and the 2015 summer series at Catalina United Methodist Church in Tucson. During UA’s 2016 spring semester, he served as an assistant conductor with the University Community Chorus.

Two classically trained musicians, both with broad musical interests and a variety of work in many of New York City’s musical circles, Michael Hey and Christiana Liberis embarked on a partnership in 2017 to bring a new and fresh approach to the organ and violin repertoire. They continue to explore and create different styles and genres of music for these two instruments.

The 1960s and 70s proved fertile years for realizing the promises of the Organ Reform Movement in the building of organs as envisioned by Albert Schweitzer earlier in the century. Organ enrollment in the colleges and universities was high, and master teachers brought about a renewed interest in performance practice made possible by the “tracker” craze.

Professor Kuhlman will touch on a few of the builders and teachers of organ who were vanguards in realizing these “reforms” during these “golden” years.

The highly regarded Alcée Chriss returns to Tucson.

Alcée Chriss III is widely regarded as one of the leading young organists of our time. Alcée is the First-prize, and Bach-prize, winner at the 2017 Canadian International Organ Competition; moreover, Alcée holds many more
prestigious awards. Alcée currently serves as University Organist and Artist-in-Residence at Wesleyan University.

The venue for this featured artist's event is:
Catalina United Methodist Church
2700 E. Speedway Blvd.

Cost: $30 (general admission); $25 Seniors; $10 Students (with I.D.)

Saturday: 02/22/2025

In this favorite series of recitals, upcoming and talented young musicians from the Tucson area are invited to perform on their instruments in Saint Philip’s sanctuary.

The second concert in the Rising Stars Concert Series features two talented musicians who are sure to thrill the listener with their artistic stylings of pieces from Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Ravel, Prokofiev, Chopin, Scriabin, and Khachaturian. The concert begins with selections from The Nutchracker Suite, Op. 71a and concludes with Sabre Dance, a movement in the final act of Aram Khachaturian's ballet Gayane (1942).